10,000 Visas Granted

On Monday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency of the Department of Homeland Security which grants or denies visas, announced that the allotted 10,000 U visas for fiscal year 2011 had been exhausted. The U visa is a temporary visa granted to victims of certain crimes who have been helpful to the police in their investigation. USCIS announced that more than 45,000 victims and their immediate family members have been granted U visas since the program was implemented.

10,000 More On The Way

Fortunately, the current fiscal year ends a week from today. Starting in October, USCIS will be empowered to grant another 10,000 U visas. In the meantime, cases will continue to be adjudicated, although no more visas will actually be issued until October. We are happy to see that all of the available visas were granted and that so many crime victims were able to gain legal immigration status as a result.

If you have been the victim of a crime while in the United States without a legal immigration status, please contact us to discuss the possibility of applying for a U visa.